US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order to shut down the US Education Department, which he previously called a “big con job.” In February, he had also pushed for its immediate closure, despite acknowledging that the process would be complicated.
Donald Trump had previously attempted to shut down the Education Department during his first term as president, but Congress did not take action.The department, responsible for various educational support programs, employs over 4,200 people and had a budget of $251 billion in the most recent year, according to a Reuters report.
While Trump said he could close it through an executive order, he acknowledged that he would need support from Congress and teachers’ unions to make it happen.
Reason behind shutdown
Shutting down the Education Department could have significant consequences, potentially disrupting billions of dollars in funding for K-12 schools and college tuition assistance programs.
Donald Trump’s executive order to shut down the Education Department is part of his larger plan to bring significant changes to the US government. He has been focusing on reducing the number of federal employees and cutting costs to make the government smaller and more efficient.
As part of these efforts, he has pushed government workers to return to office jobs or resign. He has also set his sights on shutting down other agencies, such as the US Agency for International Development (USAID), to further his goal of streamlining government operations.
“The Department of Education is a big con job,” Donald Trump said last month, as reported by Reuters, reinforcing his long-standing criticism of the agency.
He also stated that Linda McMahon, his nominee for education secretary, had been given the responsibility of overseeing the department’s closure.
This is the second time Trump has pushed for shutting down the Education Department, having first proposed it during his presidency from 2017 to 2021.
However, Congress did not take action on Trump’s previous proposals to shut down the Education Department. Conservative think tanks that support eliminating the department have suggested that other government agencies could take over responsibilities for managing educational aid programs and oversight.
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